It's Not That Important
by katiebeth26
Summary: Written for Drabblememe. Prompt: Rachel has cancer and breaks down when her hair starts falling out and she has to shave her head. Puck decides to surprise her by shaving off his mohawk and convincing the glee guys to shave their heads as well.


**A/N: I do not own Glee. Not beta'd so all mistakes are mine. This was written for the drabble meme at puckrachel at livejournal. Assume there are spoilers to all episodes that have been aired.**

**Prompt: **Rachel has cancer and breaks down when her hair starts falling out and she has to shave her head. Puck decides to surprise her by shaving off his mohawk and convincing the glee guys to shave their heads as well.

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**It's Not That Important**

Rachel made it a point in her life to look on the bright side of things. It didn't do any good in her mind to dwell on the bad things, it just made it worse. Therefore, when Rachel was diagnosed with cancer after going to see her doctor and mentioning a burse on her leg that hadn't gone away, Rachel held her head up high and smiled. This was just another challenge in life that she would get through triumphantly, or at least that was the face she showed to everyone. They didn't need to know that she cried herself to sleep that night and many nights after.

When she started her chemotherapy, Rachel had to leave school because it made her to sick. In her usual matter, however Rachel arranged for someone to pick up her homework each week, refusing to let a little thing like having cancer stop her from remaining at the top of her class. The Glee members were taking turns doing this for her as they came up to the hospital to visit and she was extremely grateful to all of them. She would complete her homework and gripe about the song selections that Mr. Shue had selected. Rachel would sit in her bed with a pen and notebook as she watched taped Glee rehearsals and would fill out pages of critic for some unlucky Glee member to take back to Mr. Shue.

She was doing just that, writing a comment about how Quinn had been the wrong choice to replace her since she was consistently off key and was just about to write a suggestion on how to turn her solo in the song into a duet with Santana and Tina when it happened. Rachel had reached up and brushed some hair out of her face only to have it fall into her hand. Rachel dropped the notebook and pen, staring at the brown locks that she was now holding in her hand and started to cry.

It seemed so silly; she had cancer and what she was crying the hardest over was losing her hair. She had held out hope that it wouldn't happen, but in the end, it did. After getting control of her emotions, somewhat Rachel rang for a nurse. She knew what she was going to have to do, just because she couldn't wait and watch has it happened. She would take control of the situation.

A few moments later, a nurse entered the room and smiled at Rachel.

"Are you doing okay?" she asked.

All Rachel could do was hold up the handful of brown hair and started to cry again as she showed it to the nurse. The nurse gave Rachel a sad smile before closing the door and taking Rachel into her arms.

"If you would like, I can call one of your Dads for you," she finally whispered as she rubbed Rachel's back.

Rachel shook her head and wiped at her eyes, "There is no reason for them to come up here after all its just….Could you do me a favor though…" Rachel trailed off as she realized that she did not know this nurse's name.

"Hannah," the nurse replied, "Anna had to take a day off today and I'm covering for her. What's the favor Rachel; if it is possible I'll do it."

Rachel attempted a smile and wiped at her eyes some more, "I can't wait and watch it all fall out. Can you help me shave my head?"

Hannah looked at Rachel for a long time before she nodded, "If that is what you want Rachel."

"It is," Rachel replied.

Hannah nodded as she stood up from the chair beside Rachel's bed and left the room. Once she was outside, she went straight to the nurses' desk and picked up the phone. Pausing for half a second as she debated with herself, Hannah quickly dialed a phone number without looking.

"Noah? I need you to do me a favor…" Hannah began as she asked her son to bring his hair clippers over to the hospital.

Puck stood in the hallway at WMHS as he ran a hand over his newly grown out Mohawk. When he had seen that, it was his Ma calling, Puck about had a heart attack thinking about everything that could have happened to his kid sister that would cause his Ma to call during the middle of the school day. Instead, it was worse. Apparently, she was covering for one of the nurses at the hospital and just so happened that meant she was Rachel's nurse for the day.

She had gone into Rachel's room to find Rachel crying and holding a handful of hair. His Ma said that hair lose was normal for chemo patients but that Rachel was extremely upset about it and she wanted to just shave all her hair off. All that beautiful brown hair would be gone as soon as he took his hair clippers by the hospital and gave them to his Ma. Puck ran another hand through his Mohawk and sighed.

"You coming Puck?" someone asked and Puck shook his head.

"Not today," Puck responded as he watched the group of guys that he normally played basketball with during lunch walk away.

Puck headed towards the parking lot and once there unlocked his truck. As he climbed inside, he didn't feel that it was right that he just took the hair clippers up and that was it. Especially since his Ma said, she was so upset. Rachel hadn't been upset about any of this, in fact she had been the one reassuring everyone else that everything would be okay. He had to do something.

He thought the entire drive back to his house, but came up with nothing. Even has he went through the house to the bathroom he shared with his kid sister he couldn't think of a thing that he could do to make Rachel feel better. He looked through the cabinet under the sink and pulled out the metal case that contained his hair clippers. Setting the box on the counter by the sink, Puck opened the box to make sure they were in there and just stared at the clippers. He ran his hand through his Mohawk once again only he stopped halfway through. Looking up into the mirror and then back down at the box Puck made a split decision. He took the clippers out of the box, turned them on and after taking a deep breath, he began to run them through his hair.

Puck entered the hospital and went straight for the elevator. As he entered, one of the doctor's that his Ma normally worked with in the ER greeted him and he returned the greeting but other then that he remained silent as he held onto the metal box tightly. When the doors finally opened on Rachel's floor, Puck said good-bye to the doctor and left the elevator.

He walked right over to the nurses' desk and sat the metal box on the counter causing his Ma to jump since her back was turned away from him. When she did turn around she let out a gasp.

"Noah!" His Ma exclaimed, "What happened to your hair?"

Puck just shrugged as he pushed the hair clippers towards his Ma, "Don't tell Rachel I was here or what I did please. I'll come see her after school gets out."

His Ma nodded and Puck turned to walk away only for her to call, "Noah."

Puck turned back around and looked at his Ma who began talking again, "It's moments like this that I know I have done something right when it comes to raising you. Thank you Noah."

Puck smirked as he shrugged again, "its just hair Ma."

His Ma only nodded as she headed to the closed door of Rachel's room and Puck turned back around and walked towards the elevator. He had to get back to school and find all the guys.

Puck got back to the school five minutes after Glee class had started and he walked calmly into the room. He ignored the gasps that the other Glee members let out when they saw his hair and tried to ignore the dejavu feeling of the entire thing as he took stopped by the piano.

"Why the hell did you do that?" Santana finally voiced and others where nodding their heads around her, "Your Mom find another mole while she was washing your hair?" Santana added with a little chuckle.

Puck just glared at her, "Rachel's hair is gone now."

That was all he said and he couldn't help but smirk as Santana's smile quickly disappeared from her face. The others in the room had a similar look and Puck had all of their attention.

"How's she doing?" Sam inquired and Puck shook his head.

"Ma is her nurse today and she is taking it really hard. Ma called and asked me to bring my clippers up to the hospital so she could help Rachel shave her head but I think losing her hair is what finally broke her," Puck admitted before he shrugged, "I don't know when I went and got the clippers out my Mohawk didn't seem like it was so important any more, not when Rachel doesn't have her hair."

The rest of the members stared at Puck; several of them had their jaws dropped in surprise. Tina recovered her ability to talk first, "That is really sweet of you Puck. What did Rachel say when she saw you?"

"Nothing because she hasn't seen me yet," Puck responded but then he smiled, "But I have an idea on how to cheer her up."

"How's that?" Santana asked.

Puck reached into his backpack and pulled out a set of hair clippers that was still in its box. He held them up for everyone to see and asked, "Who's up for a haircut?"

That broke the silence and everyone started talking at once. The girls all thought it was a sweet idea but the boys were more reluctant. It was their hair that was going to be shaved off, not the girls and Sam even voiced that opinion aloud. At that, Santana rolled her eyes, stood up from her chair and march to the front of the room her Cheerios uniform swaying as she went.

Once to the front of the room Santana reached for the stool and sat down on it. She reached up, removed her ponytail holder, and let her dark hair fall around her shoulders. She turned around to Puck and smirked.

"It's just hair," Santana responded and Quinn jumped up from her seat.

Puck pulled the clippers out of the box and stood in front of Santana, "Are you sure Lopez?"

"Damn, like I said it's just hair," Santana exclaimed as she pulled the clippers out of Puck's hands.

"Mrs. Sylvester is going to kill you if you shave off your hair," Quinn exclaimed.

"What's the worst she can do? Kick me off the Cheerios?" Santana challenged as she glared at Quinn, "I don't know if you have realized this or not but Rachel could fucking die."

"This isn't going to go over well," Quinn remarked and Santana let out a cry of dismay.

Before anyone knew what was happening Santana sat the clippers on a stool and took her Cheerios uniform off. Standing in the middle of the room in just her bra and panties, she threw the uniform at Quinn, "Do me a favor tell Sylvester that I quit."

Before anyone could say anything Santana ripped the ponytail out of her hair, turned on the hair clippers and ran it right down the middle of her head. Long black locks fell on the floor around her as she attacked her hair again with the clippers. She did it a third time and waited for all those locks to fall around her as well. Taking a deep breath Santana thrusted the hair clippers towards Puck.

"Think you can finish it up?" Santana demanded and Puck only nodded.

He took the hair clippers from Santana and began to finish shaving her hair. He noticed that Santana never once looked down at the floor, but instead moved her eyes around the room challenging the other guys to do the same. When Puck was finished and Santana was standing in her underwear with her long back hair on the floor surrounding her she only nodded at Puck before the choir room door was thrown open.

"What kind of sick orgy is going on in here?" Sue Sylvester demanded as she stared at Puck and Santana. "Puckerman, Lopez! Figgins office now!"

Puck laid the clippers down on the stool followed Santana out of the room, tossing her his Letterman jacket in the process. Santana put it on but never once looked at Puck as they went towards the office.

"Sue, what is the meaning of this?" Mr. Figgins demanded as Sue charged into the office with Santana and Puck behind her. Mr. Shue was sitting in one of the chairs all ready and let out a gasp of surprise when he saw the two teens.

"I found these two in the choir room. Lopez was standing in front of everyone in her under things while Puckerman was shaving her hair off. I don't know what you are teaching these kids Will but I refuse to stand quietly by watching while this sort of thing is going on in our public school system!" Sue shouted.

"Can you two explain yourselves?" Will asked and they both shrugged.

"Rachel's hair started to fall out today," Puck finally stated, "We decided to shave our heads in support that's all."

Rachel sat in her hospital bed, her eyes red from all the tears, as she stared at herself in a mirror. Her hair was gone; Hannah the nurse had found a pair of hair clippers somewhere and had helped her shave it. Her Dads had been surprised when they came by during lunch and found Rachel without any hair but they both supported her decision to shave it all off instead of waiting as it fell out. Now however, she was beginning to have doubts. Her Dads were one thing but what about Noah? How would he react when he saw her without any of her hair? Would he be back to visit after he saw her with a shaved head, because as much as she did not want to admit it to herself she really enjoyed Noah's visits.

It had been surprising really, how out of everyone it was Noah and Santana who spent the most time up here with her. Everyone else would get nervous and stay for a while but then they would make some excuse and leave. Her normal nurse had told her that was normal, that most people became nervous in hospitals and would leave as soon as they could. When Rachel had finally asked Noah and Santana one day why they came so often to visit and stayed so long they both had shrugged and said something about a parent working at the hospital and that was that.

Now however, school had been out for thirty minutes now, Noah would be here any moment, and here she was sitting in her bed without any hair. There was a knock on her door and she nervously invited whomever it was in. Sure enough, it was Noah and Rachel let out a gasp when she saw him.

"Noah! You're Mohawk!" Rachel exclaimed as Noah sat down in the chair next to her and smiled.

"It'll grow back," Noah stated as he began to tell Rachel about some pointless thing that had happened in his history class. Rachel just stared in amazement that Noah didn't once act as if Rachel had just shaved all of her hair off, not to mention the fact that Noah didn't have any of his hair left as well.

"Noah! Why?" Rachel asked finally and Noah just shrugged.

"It's no big deal Rachel," Noah explained but he smiled, "I'm not the only one, all the guys in Glee shaved their heads as well. Santana as well, she's the one who talked the guys into doing it really saying something about it's just hair and then shaving hers off in the middle of the Glee room."

Rachel's eyes went wide, "Santana….the guys…"

Noah chuckled, "You up for some visitors? They are all waiting outside."

Rachel nodded and then smiled as Noah stood up from his chair and went to the door. After a second, her room filled up when Sam, Finn, Kurt, Mike, Artie and Santana all walked into the room followed by Noah. They all stood there smiling, all with their hair completely gone. Santana went and stood by Rachel and Rachel leaned up to give her a hug.

"Thank you Santana," Rachel whispered, "It really means a lot that you got all of them to shave their heads."

Santana arched an eyebrow and shot a glance over at Noah that Rachel didn't miss. "Rachel, I didn't do anything it was all Puck's idea."

"Lopez!" Noah hissed and Rachel swung her head over to him.

"Noah?" Rachel whispered and the others quietly left the room as Noah walked over to the chair next to her bed and sat down sighing.

"Ma was your nurse today and she called asking me to bring my clippers over here," Noah began, "She said you were pretty upset and I don't know I just shaved the Mohawk off before I brought the clippers. Then I thought it would be a good idea if all the people would shave their heads but at first, they didn't think so. So Lopez called them all a pussy, grabbed the clippers I had out of my hand and started to shave her own head. After that the guy's all followed."

Before either one of them knew what was happening Rachel leaned over and kissed Noah, "Thank you Noah." She whispered.

Noah smiled back at her, "It's going to be okay Rachel."

"It is now," Rachel replied before kissing him again.


End file.
